Sunday, April 5, 2009

"Men are haunted by the vastness of eternity. And so we ask ourselves: will our actions echo across the centuries? Will strangers hear our names long after we are gone, and wonder who we were, how bravely we fought, how fiercely we loved?"

OK, yes, the movie Troy may not be the best representation of the epic poem The Iliad, however I do not care; Brad Pitt shirtless, throw in a couple of fantastic quotes, and you have yourself a wonderful night.On that note, this post will be mainly Greek-related because it happens to be one of my majors. First, I'd like to give a little recommendation for all you wonderful readers: The Iliad, by Homer, Translated by Stanley Lombardo. I have read many different versions and translations of this great story, however, Lombardo's is the greatest I have found.The language used in this translation makes the read easier, and more enjoyable to the modern reader. For example, while Aphrodite is trying to convince Helen to appease Paris by going to his bed chambers, and Helen refuses, Aphrodite responds with "Don't vex me, bitch!" I can honestly say I laughed out loud the first time I read this. Although this seems like an odd interpretation of such a classic, I can assure you Lombardo still retains the original feel of this epic that is meant to be read aloud.So, whether you are a first-time Iliader or a veteran, I have no doubt in my mind that you would enjoy this translation, I highly recommend it. And no, if you are wondering, I have not read the Fagles translation, but I hear it is also fantastic.Moving along...I was lucky enough to be able to spend five weeks of my summer last year on a study abroad-archeology program in Greece. Being the big myth-buff that I am, I got to see quite a few places associated with some of my favorite legends. Here are some pictures I took in some of my favorite locations!

One of our first destinations: DelphiHere we took a very long bus-ride from Athens, to the mountainous region of Delphi. After climbing up an absurdly steep hill, I got to see The Temple of Apollo, which has been a dream of mine for so many years.In myth: Delphi was known throughout Greece for being the place to go if you want an "answer" from the Gods. The Oracle of Delphi has been mentioned in many a Greek myth, and as you find out in these stories, the God's answers are never what they appear to be.

Several days later we took a trip to Mycenae, one of the most breathtaking places I have ever been to. In myth: Mycenae is the home of Agamemnon, leader of the Greeks in the Trojan War, in The Iliad.

Here is the famous "Lion Gate" at the front of the small mountain that is Mycenae. The last trip we took during our stay in Greece was to Santorini Island. This island is completely gorgeous, and whenever you see a postcard or picture of Greece, this is typically what you are seeing; intense-blue water, white houses on the side of the mountain.

In myth: This island is theorized to be one of the possible places that contains Atlantis, underwater, if it ever existed at all.

So, concluding with the Greek theme, we have put up a new poll on the right---->Hope you all enjoyed this little tidbit of Greek learnin'. We hope on having a couple of reviews up this week, along with another exciting episode of 'Where in the World is William Shakespeare?' Hope you all had a great weekend.

This was great ... and I loved the photos! I want to go there! And can I make one request for some of your "older" readers...your font size seems amazingly small (at least on my browser). Any chance you could "bump" it up a little bit so it is easier to read! I was really squinting to read this -- even in Google Reader! Love this series.